Integral loud speaker baffle



oct. 29, 1963 J. J. HAMMES 3,108,654

INTEGRAL LOUD SPEAKER BAFFLE Filed Nov. 6. 1961 United States Patent O 3,108,654 INTEGRAL LGIUD SPEAKER BAFFLE Josef Johann Haremos, St. Iionis, Mo., assigner to Lowell Manufacturing Company, Maplewood, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 6, 1%1, Ser. No. 150,539 Claims. (Cl. 181-31) This invention relates to improvements in speaker baffles and in particular is concerned with an integral loud speaker baille that may be simply made from organic plastics.

The loud speaker baille of this invention is adapted to be used with conventional loud speakers which may be simply connected to it for emplacement in a wall or ceiling or the like. The loud speaker baille is especially designed of a construction such that it may be simply made from organic plastics by molding or the like. It is of unitary and integral construction and has no re-entrant parts which facilitates the molding from conventional or ganic plastic materials.

The loud speaker baille of this invention is provided with a central diffuser cone and a plurality of frustoconical rings concentric with and surrounding the speaker cone. These rings and the cone are all connected to one another by ribs which are spaced from adjacent ribs in such a fashion that passages for sound waves are provided between the adjacent rings and between innermost ring and the diffuser cone. By this construction sound waves emanating from a loud speaker cone, which may be connected to the rear of the loud speaker baille, can pass through the rings and by virtue of their outward flaring relationship are directed over a wide area to a listening audience.

The loud speaker baille of this invention has a flat base upon which the diffusing rings and the diffuser cone are situated and from which they extend to a uniform horizontal level in the front of the speaker. The baille is provided with fittings in order that it may be very simply attached by relatively unskilled workmen to a wall or a ceiling opening, and it is also fitted so that it may readily receive a loud speaker cone on the rear surface. The speaker baffle is elllcient in operation and rugged by Virtue of its design and construction and provides an advantageous use for its designed purpose.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only, however, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the loud speaker baffle;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation taken from the right hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the speaker baille;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 1 showing the structure of the connecting ribs between the loud speaker rings and also showing the passageways between adjacent ribs; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1 showing a mounting support at the base of the outermost speaker ring `for connecting a loud speaker cone at the rear of the baille.

The loud speaker baille of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral and is comprised 3,108,654 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 ICC of a flat base 12, outer support ring 14, inner frusto-conical rings 16 and 18, and a central diffuser cone 20.

The base 12 has a plurality of holes 22 at its corners for mounting the baille to a Wall opening behind which the loud speaker cone (not shown) may be mounted. Beveled edges 24 are provided which merge gently with a wall surface upon which the baille is adapted to be mounted. The outer support ring 14 is formed of two merging surfaces 26 and 28, as best shown in FIGURE 4. The inner surface 28 forms a part of a guide path for loud speaker sound waves emanating lfrom the load speaker cone as will more fully appear. A rim 30 is provided between the ring surfaces 26 and 28 and is connected.

to a brace member 32, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The brace member 32 has an opening 34 adapted to receive mounting screws holding a loud speaker cone in place as will be readily understood.

The ring 16, as best shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, is of a generally frusta-conical configuration and flares outwardly to the front of the baille. It is connected to the bottom ofA surface 28 of the ring 14 by a plurality of ribs 36, which are spaced apart Ifrom one another to define passageways 38. These passageways permit the passage of sound waves therethrough and, due to the outwardly flaring configuration of ring 16 and the surface 28 of ring 14, the sound waves are guided at an angle away from the center of the baffle to be diffused away from the front thereof.

The ring 18, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, likewise is provided with a plurality of ribs 40, which are spaced apart from one another to define passages 42. These ribs connect the top of ning 18 with the bottom of ring 16. By virtue of the passages provided, sound waves may emanate between the ring 18 and the ring 16 and be diffused away from the center or the axis of the baille and distributed over a listening area.

The diffuser cone 20, as best shown in FIGURES l and 4 likewise is connected to the adjacent ring, in this case ring 18, by a plurality of spaced ribs 46. These ribs are spaced apart from one another to define passages 48 through which sound waves emanate in guided relationship between the diffuser cone 20 and the adjacent ring 18.

Use

The loud speaker baille 10 is very simply adapted to be used upon a wall structure or the like by connecting it to cover an opening in the wall and providing fastening screws to pass through the openings 22 to connect the baffle to the wall surface. A conventional loud speaker baille may then be' connected by passing bolts through a rim of the loud speaker as they are so conventionally provided to bolt the same against the rear of the baffle by the use of bolt holes 34 shown in FIGURES 3 and 5.

The loud speaker baffle is then ready for use. In the operation, sound waves will emanate in three separate diffusing zones. The first zone may be termed the outer zone shown by the arrow 50 in FIGURE 4 and defined by the ring 16 and the surface 28 of outer ring 14. In the outer zone 50 the sound waves will pass through the passage-ways 38. An intermediate zone 52 is likewise provided between rings 16 and 18, as shown in FIGURE 4, and an inner zone 54 is provided between ring 18 and the diffuser cone 20. The rings defining the passage-ways in zones 50, 52 and 54, together with the diffuser cone 20, thus makes possible a distribution and diffusion of loud speaker sound waves for even distribution over a room area.

By virtue of the particular construction of the loud speaker baille, it may be very simply molded. It will be noted by reference to FIGURE 4 that there are no reentrant portions and, accordingly, through simple mold employment, the loud speaker baille of this invention can a-,ioaesa be very simply manufactured. It is of a high degree of utility and provides very effectively for sound distribution.

Various changes and modifications may be made Within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modications are within the scope and teaching of the invention as deiined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An integral organic plastic loud speaker baie comprising a flat base, a plurality of concentric frusto-conical rings radially spaced from one another in their entirety supported by said base, said rings being connected to one another by a plurality of ribs spaced from one another about the periphery of said rings to provide sound ewa-ve passages between said ribs, said ribs connecting adjacent rings through a connection at the front edge of an innermost of said adjacent rings and a connection at the rear edge of an outermost of said adjacent rings, and sound wave passages between said rings.

2. An integral organic plastic loud speaker batlie comprising a flat base, a plurality of concentric frusto-conical rings radially spaced from one another in their entirety supported by said base, an imperforate diffuser cone connected to an innermost of said rings, said rings being connected to one another by a plurality of ribs spaced from one another about the periphery of said rings to provide sound wave passages between said ribs, said ribs connecting adjacent rings through a connection at the front edge of an innermost of said adjacent rings and a connection at the rear edge of an outermost of said adjacent rings.

3. An integral organic plastic loud speaker baffle comprising a fiat base, a plurality of concentric frusto-conical rings radially spaced from one another in their entirety supported by said base at a horizontal level with one another, an imperforate diffuser cone connected to an innermost of said rings, said rings being connected to one another by a plurality of ribs spaced from one another about the periphery of said rings to provide sound Wave passages between said ribs, said ribs connecting adjacent i rings through a connection at the front edge of an innermost of said adjacent rings and a connection at the rear edge of an outermost of said-adjacent rings.

4. An integral organic plastic loud speaker baille comprising a flat base having a front and a rear face, a plurality of concentric frusta-conical rings radially spaced from one another in their entirety flaring outwardly at the front face of the base and supported therefrom at a horizontal level with one another, an imperforate diffuser cone connected to an innermost of said rings, said rings being connected to one another by a plurality of ribs spaced from one another about the periphery of said rings to provide sound wave passages between said ribs, said ribs connecting adjacent rings through a connection at the front edge of an innermost of said adjacent rings and a connection at the rear edge of an outermost of said adjacent rings.

5. An integral organic plastic loud speaker baiiie cornprising a ilat base having a front and a rear face, a plurality of concentric frusto-conical rings radially spaced from one another in their entirety daring outwardly at the front face of the base and supported therefrom at a horizontal level with one another, an imperforate diffuser cone connected to an innermost of said rings, said rings being connected to adjacent rings by a plurality of ribs connecting a front edge `of an innermost of said adjacent rings to the rear edge of an outermost of said adjacent rings and said diffuser cone [being connected to the innermost ring by a plurality of ribs connecting a front edge of the cone to a rear edge or" said ring, said ribs between the adjacent rings and between the cone and the innermost ring being spaced from adjacent ribs to provide sound wave passages.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,940 Macnabb Y Sept. 5, 1939 2,646,853 Pocock July 28, 1953 2,819,773 Lowell Jan. 14, 1958 2,904,122 Nordrum et al Sept. l5, 1959 

1. AN INTEGRAL ORGANIC PLASTIC LOUD SPEAKER BAFFLE COMPRISING A FLAT BASE, A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC FRUSTO-CONICAL RINGS RADIALLY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER IN THEIR ENTIRETY SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE, SAID RINGS BEING CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER BY A PLURALITY OF RIBS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID RINGS TO PROVIDE SOUND WAVE PASSAGES BETWEEN SAID RIBS, SAID RIBS CONNECTING ADJACENT RINGS THROUGH A CONNECTION AT THE FRONT EDGE OF AN INNERMOST OF SAID ADJACENT RINGS AND A CONNECTION AT THE 